Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-13
TIE TERRIBLE WRECK.
The Number Of Killed Placed at
Eighty-FNe--Two Hundred
Wounded-- Incidents,
Two Theories, One that the Bridge was
Fired by Robbers the Cher that
ii Caught from the Prairie.
The Oficials Declare There was no Firs
Near tho Bridge. but Farmers Living
Near Say the Grass was on Fire

The Ohicials Declare There was no Fire
Near tho Bridge. but Farmers Living
Near Say the Grass was on Fire
TIE CORONER'S INQUEST.
FOREST, ILL, Aug. l2.-The Coroner's
inquest begun last night There were
present only the Coroner's jury, Presi-
dent Leonard of the Toledo, Peoria and
Western Railway, superintendent Arm
strong, of the same road, Master of
Bridges Markly, Justice of Peace Estes
and several reporters for Chicago and Pc
oria papers. The first witness called
was Superintendent Armstrong. He ties
titled that he was on the Inflated train,
which consisted of six sleeping cars, TWO
chair cars, five passenger coaches, one
special car, and one baggage, drawn by
engine No. Is, Engineer f. MCChntock
and Fireman AppIegreen, and engine No.
| 81, Engineer Ed Switzerland Engine
l. was next to the baggage car. The train
| left Chatsworth about 11:45 Wednesday
night. After leaving he went into his own
car and sat there for three or four min
utes, when he felt fearful shock to the
train. The next instant the car passed
over the burning bridge. He was thrown
out of one of the windows
INTO HEDGE FENCE
near the right of way. The steam was
| blowing eff from one of the engines and
the hot water was burning him. He got
up and saw Train Dispatcher f. A. Parker
of Peoria and his wife caught in the bag
gage car. The witness got the man loose,
bnt could not get the woman out. she
WIS released later, however. Mrs. Gould
and daughter, wife Of the auditor OF the
rood, were occupying the stateroom in
the special car. He went TO their assist
ance and found them uninjurad. He then
asked one Of the tremen where the front
engine was and was told that Engineer
Switzerland had gone TO Gilmore
for help. The engine came in about three
quarters of an hour with doctors. The
wounded we're taken out of the wreck
where 1t was possible and sent to CHATS
WORTH that being the county seat. The
bridge was only partly demolished when
the Witness first saw it, the stringerS al
both ends having gone down. Dirt and
brush were thrown on the flames. The
engine set fire to nothing, and only one
| CdE GnN L uIIu6U sleeper were
SLIGHTLY BURNED.
The witness met the section foreman near
the wreck, after the occurrence, and the
latter said that he went over the section
= st O'Clock Wednesday evening and there
= was no fire there then. The witness had
warned him to have the section-hands go
over the section after quitting work,
knowing that an excursion train
| hot
night. No train went over the
bridge after $50 o'clock Wednesday
The witress counted the tickets before
reaching Chatsworth and found that there
were few over 600 persons on the train.
He said he believed there were only three
or four dead persons in Piper City. The
witness did not think it was possible that
any body could have been so tiendjsh as
10 burn the bridge. About one week age
the grass along the right of way near the
bridge had been burned eff. The train
YVES running, he judged, about thirty five
miles al hour at the time of the accident
Engineer Sutherland told MIN that he ssT
VERY SMALL BLAZE
before reaching the bridge, but thought il
was q few leaves burning outside Of the
track. The engineer also told him tha
he did not see the fire until be got direct
ly over the bridge, and called for tht
breaks, but il Was too late to avoid the
accident. The witness remained st The
wreck until o'clock in the morning
4 He saw to ire handling Of the bodies
' He saw one or two persons examining The
l pockets Of the dead. He vas informed
5 by those making the search that il vs..
their relatives when they were searching
= Ii ne had any suspicion nc would have
been disarmed by the way in which The
} persons making the search answered him
He saw no one iob6ing the dead, or cut
s ting eff fingers from the dead to secure
rings. There WAS plenty of help 10 ge'
: the bodies out Of the wreck, valuable
} assistance being rendered by the Chats
r worth FIRE Company. In aCornheId nea
: the wreck he heard 9 man calling "Help
T help" The witness went toward tn
0 scene, snd found man with bis left le!
5 broken above the ankle. The man asket
r HIN
TO TURN BIS TOES DOWN.
] The witness did so, and he told q farm
c ers' boy who came along with bucket O
water to stay near this man while tn
q witness went to the assistance of OTHERS
|. In few minutes after leaving him IN
5 witness heard shot, and turning bacl
= found that the man had shot himself il
the forehead, producing inst.n
death. The boy had meanwhile
gone away short distance to give waite
to another wounded person. The witnes:
], remembered having noticed the deceased
4 trying 10 get something out OF his poke
while the witness turned his toes in ward
. j. II. Marley, master of bridges an
:, buildings of the Toledo, Pe6rla an
u Wabash Railway, testified that he in
i spected the bridge in May LAST. It wa
i made of two pile bents, four pilings t
q each bent. 1t WAS fifteen feet long en-
six feet high. The stringers, ties an
{ guard rsil were put in fourteen month
3 ago. There was wall OF old timbers 8
u u each end of the bridge
II TO KEEP UP THE ENIBANKN1ENN.
&c Its condition was good. The witnes
L. examined the bridge yesterday and foun
nothing left but part Of partly burne
curb and few pieces OF small timber
The niles were burnt off clOse RI IN